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Face feels tight

Rub down my face with a washcloth in the shower to soften up the hairs
Out of shower face lather with MWF (I used to be a cream user: AoS and GFT)
Straight shave (I was previously a DE shaver and I'm recently getting back into straight shaving after some time off)
Alum
GFT Skin Food (recently due to having a sampler pack) OR AoS Shave Balm

The "tightness" has been there since I started wet shaving. If I drag a mach-whatever-number-of-blades-they're-on-now across my face in the shower it doesn't seem to happen.

I assume this has something to do with my post shave routine. Any suggestions? I'm interested in trying new stuff anyway (Ogalalla Bay Rum catches my ear, but I have no idea what it smells like).

I don't generally feel any razor burn (and when I do it's in isolated areas due to poor straight shaving technique).

Last edited by kfreeman; 12-12-2011 at 08:33 AM.
Reason: No 'n' in alum...

Could be a few things - maybe the soap just reacts with your face that way (me, I can't use Proraso or Cade soaps - no matter how great the shave my skin feels uncomfortable afterwards), maybe it's a very tiny bit of razor burn, maybe you just need to moisturize more.

You might consider a pre-shave oil right out of the shower before you lather. T&H makes a nice pre-shave oil and I have heard of some just using a little olive oil. I would also consider dropping the alum for a while.

Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company. G. Washington

Try rinsing your face with cold water after the alum dries and then patting your face dry with a towel before applying the balm or skin food, this is what I do and I find the tightness goes away soon after applying my AS/balm. You can also rinse before the alum is even dry and possibly further reduce the effect, although this is speculation as I have never tried it.

Make sure you thoroughly rinse the alum off before applying your aftershave/balm. If that doesn't help try replacing the alum with witch hazel for a few shaves, they accomplish pretty much the same thing but WH doesn't tighten your skin like alum.

Make sure you thoroughly rinse the alum off before applying your aftershave/balm. If that doesn't help try replacing the alum with witch hazel for a few shaves, they accomplish pretty much the same thing but WH doesn't tighten your skin like alum.

I agree that it might be the alum. You could replace it with witch hazel as suggested, but you might want to try an alcohol-free version like Thayers. Or -- and this would be my suggestion -- skip the alum and the witch hazel and just use an after shave balm. There are also some after shave balms that contain witch hazel, so you could kill two birds with one stone.

You may also want to try a different soap. MWF can be irritating to some guys, even though others with sensitive skin feel that its unbeatable.

Thank you. Now if I can just find an alternative to AoS balm (price) I'll be good to go. I'm going to grab some Thayers Witch Hazel and some Pre de Provence ASB and see how that goes. I'm trying to stay scent neutral, as I want my cologne to do its job (when I wear it).

Thank you. Now if I can just find an alternative to AoS balm (price) I'll be good to go. I'm going to grab some Thayers Witch Hazel and some Pre de Provence ASB and see how that goes. I'm trying to stay scent neutral, as I want my cologne to do its job (when I wear it).

Try California Baby Super Sensitive Everyday Lotion. It's not marketed as an ASB but I use it as one. No scent and very gentle. A little goes a long way and it does a great job of moisturizing my face without making me oily and greasy. The other good thing about this is that CB products can usually be found pretty locally.